IMSA Esports Continues to Grow with Pair of 20-Minute LMP3 Races in New iRacing Season
By Tony DiZinno
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The continued mirroring to reflect the real-world aspect of IMSA racing in the IMSA Esports Global Championship occurred this past weekend at virtual Sebring International Raceway.
There, the track known for its notorious and legendary bumps welcomed more than 20 virtual Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) competitors in virtual Ligier LMP3 cars before the second round of the 2025 IMSA Esports Global Championship season on iRacing, the AMD 240 at Sebring. The new IMSA Esports LMP3 Challenge featured a mix of both real-world and virtual stars.
The series is a new addition to IMSA’s expanding and growing Esports portfolio, which had its first of two 20-minute races as an “appetizer” to Sunday’s AMD 240 at Sebring. Its second 20-minute race is next Sunday, November 23, at virtual Long Beach.
At Sebring, the LMP3 field delivered a tantalizing battle up front between Boris Ovando and Christophe Herbignaux, with Herbignaux’s No. 92 car advancing to the lead on the penultimate lap after brief contact with Ovando. Ovando briefly fell off the road at Turn 3 and Dario Frattini moved into second.
“What a race!” said Herbignaux, a Belgian sim racer. “I am really happy. It was very intense and this race was difficult because the track was very slippery.”
These three were part of an intriguing blend of both real-world drivers and emerging virtual and sim racing stars racing together in the first of two IMSA Esports LMP3 Challenge races.
Some of those competing included 12 sim racers from Grid Finder’s weekly IMSA LMP3 series, five recent IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge drivers including Jaden Conwright, Suellio Almeida, Morgan Burkhard, Jordan Wisely and Beitske Visser, as well as Indy NXT driver Nolan Allaer, co-founder of Donut Media James Kirkham and even IMSA employee Austin Farr.
Conwright, Burkhard and IMSA Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin star Nathan Nicholson at one point engaged in a great scrap for position on the backstraight going into Turn 17. As part of a group exiting the turn three-wide, it recalled many an MX-5 Cup finish at Sebring that has seen multiple cars side-by-side and covered by a blanket in the real world.
Almeida, who competed against Conwright in Michelin Pilot Challenge Touring Car (TCR) competition this year, is a creator known for his videos and driving instruction blending both worlds together. He raced with Bryan Herta Autosport w/Curb Agajanian in 2025 as part of its “incubator” No. 9 Hyundai Elantra N TCR with Maddie Aust; the pair finished eighth in TCR points.
Conwright, IMSA’s first 3D Scholarship winner, secured his first TCR win earlier this year at VIRginia International Raceway as part of a partial season program aboard the No. 31 RVA Graphics Motorsports by Speed Syndicate Audi RS3 LMS TCR.
Next week will be a particularly unique mix of IMSA’s virtual world as it will feature three different classes at two different tracks.
The IMSA Esports Global Championship’s Round 3 sees Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) competitors racing at virtual Long Beach, with Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) competitors racing at virtual VIR.
The IMSA Esports LMP3 Challenge, as noted, will run alongside its virtual prototype colleagues at virtual Long Beach for the second round of this inaugural series.